A Season with Mark DeRosa and Brandon Belt

Shake-up – Mark DeRosa

On my way into the clubhouse today, I saw Miguel Tejada leaving. He told me he’d been reassigned, another way of saying he was cut. I didn’t know Aaron Rowand was involved, too, until I saw him packing up his locker. It’s not been an easy day.

I think we all expected something to happen after playing the brand of baseball we had been playing for the past month. It was like 30 days of the same game. Like we kept hitting the replay button. There was passion and fight, but we couldn’t get anything going. Then the boos started creeping in. Listen, we know that if we lose our fans after winning the first World Championship since 1954, we’ve lost everything.

So we knew something had to be done. And today the front office and the coaches sent us a message loud and clear: No one’s safe. If you’re not delivering, there will be changes.

Ro and Miggy found themselves in a situation where they weren’t playing much. And when you have 10-plus years in the big leagues, and you have the resumes that these guys have, it’s not easy to be on the bench day after day after day. It beats you up.

I was in a similar situation, but I had an injury so I had a built-in excuse. But no matter what the reason for sitting on the bench, you feel terrible not being out there. Then when you do go out there and don’t play well, you find yourself right back on the bench. Ro and Miggy are very good players and they’ll resurface somewhere else. No doubt in my mind. Miguel Tejada will go down as one of the best shortstops ever to play the game. I will always respect what those two guys did.

Do I think the clubhouse shake-up helped us win today? It’s possible. If so, I hope it isn’t a one-game boost. Sometimes change can be the spark you need to snap back to life. We’ll see a bunch of young guys show up Friday for September call-ups. And that energy is always a welcome lift during the last month of the regular season.

Personally I’m excited for Brett Pill, who arrived today. I was down in Fresno rehabbing my wrist for three weeks and I think I spent more time with him than with some of the guys in this clubhouse! Let me tell you, the kid can play. He deserves an opportunity. So I’m excited for him to get his shot.

It’s great to have a day off tomorrow before we face Arizona. We’re six games back, and as we showed last season, that’s not insurmountable. Arizona is hot as a pistol right now. We definitely have our work cut out for us, but we’ve been in this position before. That’s what I like. We have a lot of the same guys, and every one of them is a fighter.

And at the end of the day, I like our pitching staff better than anybody’s in baseball. We just have to go out there and score runs for them. We have to play good ball. Period. End of story.

See you at the park on Friday.

-Mark

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30 Comments

Hi, Mark! I just found this blog today and I was really happy for the chance to read your recent posts. Of all the players I’ve seen interviewed, you’re definitely one of the most insightful and informative. I know you haven’t gotten the playing time you hoped for because of your wrist injuries, but I can tell that just your clubhouse presence on its own has been a huge contribution to your team. And I’m excited that you’re back and playing and taking on a larger on-field role, as well. I was at august 27th game when you scored the winning run, and listening to your post-game comments reaffirmed how much this team means to you. I just wanted you to know that you’re appreciated by your fans. How has your wrist been feeling these days? Is it day to day, or does it feel pretty solid? We’re all supporting you and the team in the quest for the playoffs! good luck and thanks for your hard work!

Thanks for the post Mark. Always insightful and well written. Hope you’ve been enjoying your playing time as of late as much as it seems. It’s been good to see.
I’ve never been a fan of boo birds… it’s not you like all aren’t trying! Hopefully your drive and hunger will make this a september to remember.

Get a new hitting coach!! Tell Cody to bunt, since he isn’t hitting!! and quit swinging ar ball that bounce across home plate!! and for Huff,,stop looking at 2 perfect strikes then swings and missed at a ball,,sheesh!! put the ball in play!! either hit and run or bunt! when Tim can get on and nobody can move him around,,that is pathetic!! everyone is swinging for a home run instead of a hit,,c;mon!!

This was a nice post, Mark. You were definitely right on hitting the repeating button this past month. It was probably the longest torture I’ve ever felt since I became a huge fan of our team. It wasn’t easy to watch, knowing that some of you were trying the hardest! You, have been playing an important part for the team by setting up the plays and all. In my book, you get a +1!! =) Good luck this weekend, and GO GIANTS!!!!

Thank you, Mark! So great to see you back on the field and looking fine!

Those “boos” you hear aren’t the sounds of fans being lost, they are the snores of 1,000,000+ dragons waiting for a reason to wake up and roar again!!

Go Giants! And even if the worst of the worst should happen this year (because it feels like it already has. A couple times.) and we don’t repeat as World Champions, I look forward to every last pitch of this season so make them count!

Thanks for the update Mark.I’m sorry to hear about Rowand and Tejada they will be missed, both good players. I just like to say the I love the way you talk about your teammates. You are a player who loves to play the game and doesn’t do it for the money, you do it for yourself and the fans. You are one of my favorites players and I was upset when you got hurt. I’m glad you’re back in the game and it was great to see you play sunday (8/28/11). I know you guys can make it to the world series again. You have the support of your fans now its up to you to play your hardest.

Mark, some of your closing comments remind me of a saying I once heard: “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” What I loved so much about watching our team last year was your will to win and never giving up. May that return starting tonight. Go Giants!

I’m a fan from Canada and I was just in SF last week. We went to see my beloved Giants on the 23rd (Padres) and 25th (Astros). Thanks to the Giants organization for such great experiences at the ball park. What a ball park!!

Thanks also to Mark and Brandon for this interesting blog. It’s nice to hear from the players themselves firsthand.

It is so wonderful to have you back playing better every game, you were missed! I’m excited that Pat is back, too. True story, the night before he was taken off the DL, I saw a shooting star and wished, “Bring Pat back. . .PLEASE bring Pat back”, and viola! The next day he WAS back!!! You guys hang in there. The fans should NOT be booing you guys. . .let them get up there in front of 44k people and National Television with the Pennant race looming large!

People who are booing are “fair-weather fans”:(

Again, you guys just continue to play ball and try to have fun, too. You’ll ALL get hot again

Thank you for sharing Mark. I just marked my 40th year on this Earth yesterday and was at the game on Wednesday. Been a Giants fan for the past 35 years and have always been a fan through good and bad times. This is not a bad time. It’s just a slight setback. We went thru the same thing last season and ended up clinching the N.L. West the last game of the regular season. I was there! Die-hards will always stick with the team no matter what. Forget the boos ‘cuz fans like me (and there are many of us!) will always be there to cheer the team on!!!

Well said. The Giants have been my team since I was in the fifth grade. I won a reading contest and the prize was going to a Giants game and getting my picture taken with a member of the team. That was in 1976. Of course, we all want the Giants to win another World Series but I am here to say for what I think is the majority of fans. We are fans for life, when or lose. Go Giants.

I agree one 100% with you and yes it’s dads to see Rowan and Tejada go, especially Tejada because everytime he hit a base run he always showed so much encouragement to the team as well to the fans, I will really miss him, as for Rowan you can tell he was not happy being there fans do notice, as for the fans not believing and losing fans because of loses, I don’t believe that will be a true fan, a fan is a fan win or lose, yes we rather our GIANTS win, but I’ve been a GIANTS since I was 7 yrs old back when Willie Mays was playing still have an autograph ball from him, but regarding I will alway remain a faithful fan to the GIANTS, I wish I lived back in SF so I can enjoy every home game, but live in sac will enjoy watching every game on TV, yes I have made it to a few games this season and been honored to have done so, so I wish all my GIANTS the best of luck, win or lose GIANTS in my heart are true winners lobe my GiANTS :0)

I am 74 years old and was born in SF. Needless to say I have been a Seals fan and then a Giants fan. I have had tickets since “The Yard” opened and went to Candlestick, too. NEVER have I had such enjoyment as the Giants have given me.
I suffer with the losses and yell at bad baseball……Keep it going guys….Win or lose you are “Our Giants”…You brought life to the Bay Area………

I had been thinking even before the shakeup that I hoped the guys can make the most of their remaining time together, as the roster is going to be very different next year. Thanks for the post, Mark. Also, I was in the stands at Dodger Stadium when you last got hurt, and my heart broke to see it. So, congrats on your comeback and recent success. Keep it up!

I think the fans really appreciate when the players, in this case you Mr. De Rosa, take the time to actually write your thoughts down. We know that each of you are pulled in many directions every day; there’s always someone wanting your thoughts, opinions, etc. We also know that you’re trained in how to respond, being careful not to get yourself in hot water.
So let me say that it’s refreshing that you actually acknowledge that you heard the boos and that you feel something about it. I’m not saying it was appropriate at all to boo, in fact I can’t believe it really, when you guys just won everything last year, but such is life. Even in our daily lives away from sports it’s ‘what have you done for me lately’.
I enjoy all of the bits that come from the SF Giants team. I’ve been a fan since ‘The Stick’ and will never stop supporting the team. Thanks again for taking the time to express your thoughts.

Ro and Miggy were obviously respected and well liked by the team. The Franchise gave us fans a peek at the friendships built throughout an arduous schedule. I’m proud how the team responded on a bittersweet day. We hope Pat, Brett, and others will provide the much needed kick and lineup protection for the rest of the team to finally provide runs for the best pitching staff in baseball. Mark, keep your head high and keep befriending/mentoring the younger players. It already paid off last year, but there

It’s difficult to lose middle of the line-up guys to injury for the season and then have over half your starting line-up go on the DL multiple times. The Giants have an outstanding pitching staff and defense that has kept them in the playoff hunt. It would be very nice to see the rest of the team and new players pick-up the slack and score three, or four runs a game to take some of the pressure off the pitching staff, who feel they need to throw a shutout every game, or the team is going to lose.

The reality is many of the current Giants veterans will probably not be picked-up by another teams to play again with the resumes they have established over the last year, or two. Play this month like it’s the last month of your careers because the truth is it might be. Come on Giants! You can do it!

When you win it is always great – when you lose it is disappointing but that is baseball. When you lose because of bad baseball you question it. When you lose 2/3 of your games in a month due to lack of hitting – something has to change. As the defending World Champions we as fans expect good ball – win or lose. We have rode the goods and bads and if you give it your best shot (and certainly the pitching staff has) what more could a loyal fan ask for. Of course since our expectations are now high with a World Championship, a repeat would be nice -for that to happen everything must be in alignment, including good luck which last year despite the “torture” we had. Might be time for Lady luck to smile on us for the next month – if so with 6 games left against the D-backs – as Jim Belushi said it best, “was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?!?!?!” Go Giants!

I think it’s easy for people to go on radio and facebook and complain, or offer “what they/I would/should do..” endlessly. They have no idea what it’s like at this level of baseball, and these things happen. Just go out there, have fun and leave your guts on the field. It’s just baseball. It’s only the love of the game that got you here. Good luck Mark, and hit it where they ain’t.🙂

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